The character

Furmint is the dominant grape of Hungary’s Tokaj region — the historical reference for botrytized sweet wine, and one of the world’s great wine appellations. For four centuries Tokaji Aszú (the sweet wine made from botrytis-affected Furmint berries, mixed into a base wine in graduated ‘puttonyos’ levels) has been recognized as one of the most distinctive sweet wines on earth. In the last three decades, the Tokaj region has also produced increasingly serious dry Furmint that rivals the great whites of Alsace and Austria.

Where it grows best

Tokaj-Hegyalja, Hungary: the home, on volcanic soils at the foot of the Zemplén Mountains. The combination of warm Pannonian summers, cool autumns, and the Bodrog and Tisza rivers (which produce the autumn fogs that encourage botrytis) is unique. Slovakia: the Slovak section of the Tokaj region across the border. Smaller plantings in Austria’s Burgenland (as Mosler) and Slovenia (as Šipon).

How it tastes

Dry Furmint: green apple, lemon, white peach, beeswax, smoke, sometimes a salty-mineral note from the volcanic soils. Aged dry Furmint develops honey, ginger, and almond. Acid is bright to high; alcohol typically 13-14%. Sweet Tokaji Aszú: dried apricot, honey, marmalade, ginger, candied citrus peel, with the botrytis-and-acid combination keeping the wine balanced rather than cloying. Acid is bright; sweetness ranges from around 60 g/L (3 puttonyos, now rarely seen) to 250+ g/L (Aszú Eszencia, Eszencia).

How it ages

Top dry Furmint (Royal Tokaji, Disznókő, Oremus, Patricius, Holdvölgy) ages fifteen to twenty-five years. Tokaji Aszú is essentially indestructible — bottles from the 19th century, properly stored, drink remarkably. Eszencia (the rarest Tokaj style, made from free-run juice that drips from a pile of botrytized berries under its own weight) ages two hundred years and longer.

What to pair with

Dry Furmint: roast chicken, pork dishes, soft cheeses, mushroom risotto. Tokaji Aszú: foie gras (the classic Hungarian pairing), blue cheese, fruit-based desserts, on its own as a meditation pour. Tokaji is one of the few wines that handles both savory and sweet pairings at the same level.